Animated skating device



y 53 M. RICHTER 4 ANIMATED SKATING DEVICE Filed May 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MAX RICHTER ATTORNEY July 21, 1953 M. RICHTER 2,645,879

ANIMATED SKATING DEVICE Filed May 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE - MAX RICH ATTORNEY Patented July 21, 1953 UNITED STATE ANIMATED SKATING DEVICE Max Richter, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application May 8, 1950, Serial No. 160,677

2 Claims.

The object of the invention is to provide improvements in animated toys and advertising devices, and more specifically in a type that is primarily actuated by an electric motor, but in which there is no physical driving connection between the motor and the one or more animated figures.

Another object is to provide in its broadest sense the combination of a plate of non-ferrous material such as glass, plastics, certain metals, and the like, which do not form a shield or barrier against the free passage of magnetic force, with a magnet movable in a path close to and substantially parallel with one side of said plate, means to move said magnet in a predetermined path, and an automaton upon the opposite side of said plate, at least a portion of which is magnetized or magnetizable, and which is caused to move in a parallel path and in accordance with the movement of said magnet.

A further object is to provide in such a device a partition that is preferably parallel with the plane of said plate, a plurality of idlers carried by said partition, a belt or chain movable in a path defined by said idlers, motor-driven means to move said belt or chain, a magnet propelled by said belt or chain, and differently shaped filler blocks in the spaces between said idlers and adjacent courses of said belt or chain, to nominally support said magnet in a fixed plane parallel with said plate,

Still another object is to provide the combination of the foregoing mechanism with any desired form of music or sound producing mechanism, whereby the movement of the automaton upon the outer surface of the non-ferrous plate is accompanied by appropriate sound, which in the case of one or more skaters might be waltz or similar music, which in meter and rhythm would be appropriate to and consistent with the movement of the skaters to and fro, as determined by the number and arrangement of the idlers and the belt or chain traversed thereby. t I

With the objects thus broadly stated, the'invention comprises further details of construction and operation, which are hereinafter fully brought out in the following specification, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device showing one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the major portion of the device with the top closure or cover removed; Fig. 4 is a similar plan view of a modified arrangement of the figurepropelling chain or belt; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing in combination the adjacent portions of asheet or plate of nonferrous material, the adjacent portion of an automaton supported thereby, and a portion of the sprocket chain therebeneath with one of the mags nets carried thereby for moving said automaton.

Referring to the drawings, the device in its preferred embodiment is shown as comprising a casing composed of side and end walls I and 2, spanned at their lower edges by a bottom wall 3, and at a substantial distance below the level of their uppermost edges by a partition 4. Above and resting upon the upper edges of said side and end walls is a hollow frame 5, which in effect normally comprises a continuation of said side and end walls, and which is maintained against lateral movement by any suitable means, asfor example a plurality of dowels 6, said frame being removable from said casing at will, either in a directly upward direction or by means of a hinged connection if preferred.

Spanning the hollow space surrounded by said frame is a plate 1 of non-ferrous material such for example as glass, plastic, or even some metals and alloys of the same, said plate comprising a direct support for one or more automatons such as are represented by the skating dolls 8, it being understood that instead of skating dolls any suitable from or type of automatons may be substituted therefor. If desired, said frame may be provided at least at its corners with upright posts 9, between which either rigid wires or taut cords Ill may be strung, and while serving to represent a fence or other form of guard, function to prevent the automatons from falling from the plate I, if shaken or jarred from the propelling magnets hereinafter described.

Supported by and depending from the partition 4 is an electric (or spring) motor I I, carried by a suitable bracket [2 and having an upwardly extending shaft I3 that projects through said partition, and carries upon its upper end a driving sprocket 14. Also carried by and upon the upper face of said partition is a'plurality of idlers [5, directly supported by independent shaftsor studs l6 secured to said partition. About these idlers and said sprocket is arranged a sprocket chain (or belt) H in a circuitous path, that if desired may simulate the regular and rhythmic to and fro motions of a waltz movement. In Fig. 3 is shown one design for the arrangement and path followed by said sprocket, while in Fig. 4 is a modified arrangement and path of the chain with respect to the same number and arrangement of sprocket and idlers, it being understood 3 that for some such path designs it is necessary to lengthen or shorten said chain.

In any case, one or more permanent magnets l8 are secured in any suitable manner to spaced portions or said chain, and are thus positioned to move with said chain in a plane that is but slightly spaced beneath the under surface of said plate 1, upon the upper surface of which rest the dolls or other form of automatons 8 by means of iron or steel, and preferably magnetized, elements such as the skates I9 (Fig. In this way movement of the sprocket chain and the individual magnets carried thereby causes duplicate movement of the automatons, as the non-ferrous plate'l, while serving as a firm support for said automatons does not act as a barrier to the free passage of the lines of magnetic force that characteristically emanate according to known laws and paths from said magnets.

Functionally said magnets and automatons would operate in the absence of filler blocks, but particularly in view of the fact that said magnets extend laterally from the propelling chain, it has been found desirable to provide normally fixedly positioned interchangeable sets of filler blocks 20 of different shapes, and which in appearance and effect provide grooves within which said chain moves, but which in reality merely fill the intervening spaces loosely, and at the same time provide supports for said magnets throughout the path of said chain. Since only the outermost block 2| is secured in fixed position as by means of screws 22, the inner filler blocks may be merely laid loosely in place, as they are of light weight and when necessary may slide slightly in order to adjust themselves to any irregularities of the idlers, chain, etc. By providing differently shaped sets of said filler blocks, it will be apparent from Figs. 3 and 4, that correspondingly different paths for said chain I! may be provided, while employing the same combination and arrangement of the said. sprocket and idlers.

In order to add still further to the entertaining and intriguing nature of the device, a music box, record player, or other form of sound producing device 23 can be positioned within the lower portion of the device, and actuated either independently of the movement of said automatons, or may be driven by belt, chain, or the, like 24 from the motor I I. In this manner, various unusual and entering results can be obtained. It should also be noted that many parts of the device may be produced in molded plastic or other suitable materials, and that the deviceis therefore in no way limited to any particular materials, except in the case of the magnets and the non-ferrous plate, through which the lines of magnetic force must be free to pass.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination of a container having a horizontal partition in its upper portion to subdivide the interior of said container into upper and lower compartments, a motor in the lower compartment having a shaft extending into the upper compartment, a spocket in the upper compartment carried by said shaft, a plurality of idlers carried by said partition, a spocket chain following a circuitous path defined by said sprocket and said idlers, a magnet propelled by and projecting laterally from the upper portion of said chain, substantially continuous surfaces upon the opposite sides of said chain and approximately in the common plane of the upper surfaces of said idlers to slidingly support said magnet, a plate of non-ferrous material forming a closure for said upper compartment, and a magnetically responsive automaton supported by said closure and operative to be moved by said magnet parallel with the path of said chain, said surfaces being formed selectively by removable, normally fixedly positioned interchangeable sets of filler blocks of different shapes in the spaces between adjacent courses of said chain, and together with said idlers providing said magnetsupporting surfaces.

2. The combination of a container having a horizontal partition in its upper portion to subdivide the interior of said container into upper and lower compartments, a motor in the lower compartment having a shaft extending into the upper compartment, a sprocket in the upper compartment carried by said shaft, a plurality of idlers carried in the plane of said sprocket by said partition, a sprocket chain following a circuitous path defined by said sprocket and said idlers, a magnet propelled by and projecting laterally from the upper portion of said chain, substantially continuous surfaces upon the opposite sides of said chain and approximately in the common plane of the upper surfaces of said idlers to sliding ly support said magnet, a plate of nonferrous material forming a closure for said upper compartment, and a magnetically responsive automaton supported by said closure and operative to be moved by said magnet parallel with the path of said chain, said surfaces being normally formed selectively by interchangeable sets of normally fixedly positioned filler blocks of different shapes in the spaces between adjacent courses of said chain and together with said idlers providing said magnet-supporting surfaces, said chain following different paths about said sprocket and said idlers selectively, depending upon the combination and arrangement of said blocks.

MAX RICHTER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,486,273 Gibson Oct. 25, 1949 2,551,806 McKeever May 8, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 106,574 Switzerland Sept. 1, 1924 36,742 France Apr. 15, 1930 (1st addition to No. 650,499) 

